Al Jazeera Cameraman Released from Guantanamo

DOHA, May 2: Sami al Haj,
an Al Jazeera cameraman held in American military custody at Guantanamo Bay for
the last six years, has been freed, the Middle Eastern news network announced
today.

Commenting on the release,
Wadah Khanfar, the director general of the Al Jazeera Network, stated, "We
are extremely relieved that our friend and colleague Sami has been released
from Guantanamo Bay. Our thoughts are with him and his family at this moment of
great joy. Al Jazeera would like to thank all of those involved in the effort
to secure Sami's release."

Al Haj was detained in
December 2001 by Pakistani border authorities when attempting to cross into
Afghanistan on assignment for Al Jazeera. He was transferred to American
military custody, and after one year, was sent to Guantanamo and classified as
an enemy combatant. According to reports, officials believed that al Haj had
secretly interviewed Osama bin Laden, but the cameraman was never charged. He
had been on a hunger strike since January 2007 to protest his imprisonment.

Robert Ménard, the
secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, noted: “Sami Al-Haj should never
have been held so long. U.S. authorities never proved that he had been involved
in any kind of criminal activity.”

—By Mansha Daswani